Sixers star Jaylen Brown plays with his heart on his sleeve. For the first time in 11 years, it won’t bleed green.

At the end of 76ers practices during training camp, Jaylen Brown would stick around to do some individual work when media were allowed to enter the facility.

Brown would be training with assistant coach Phil Handy, the renowned player development coach who has worked with Kobe Bryant and Brown’s new teammate, LeBron James.

They might work one day on post moves with Brown’s back to the basket in order to hone his turnaround jumpers. On another day, Brown might work on executing a rip-through shot, in an attempt to draw a foul.

But Brown wasn’t by himself. Teammates would join him for some small group work, like when Rayan Rupert and Justin Edwards hopped in one of the sessions.

» READ MORE: Paul George still feels ‘brotherhood’ with former Sixers teammates after trade to Celtics

Early in his Sixers tenure, Brown has appreciated this dynamic between him and some of the younger players on the roster.

“A lot of them have shown me a lot of respect. Ask me questions, or ask to jump in my workouts,” Brown said. “And I’m welcome and I’m open to all of that, being a teacher. I was a guy who was always asking questions, so I appreciate it when the young guys are asking questions.”

This has been a part of the acclimation process for Brown, who, even at the start of training camp, was still in the process of getting settled with his family in Philadelphia.

After 10 years in Boston playing for the hated Celtics, Brown is in a new city for the first time in his decorated career. Frequent foe Tyrese Maxey said in the first few days of practice it was “weird” seeing Brown in the same jersey as him.

“Of course, this is very foreign to him,” Maxey said. “Imagine being somewhere for years and coming here, the team that you’re trained to hate, probably. It’s been great. Especially since we just beat them [in the playoffs]. It’s kind of crazy.”

But in his first preseason game in front of his new home fans, Brown showed why he had the best year of his career last season — and what kind of scoring pop he can add to an already star-studded lineup. He had 22 points, mostly against the Knicks starters.

“I’m happy to be here and it’s an honor,” Brown said afterward. “God is the greatest. I don’t take anything for granted. So, I just get out there and I put my best foot forward. I’m going to leave it all out on the floor and I’m here to win. I want to win.”

Of his teammates, Brown has formed a fast friendship with VJ Edgecombe. After the preseason victory over Boston, Brown called Edgecombe “one of my favorite people in the world.”

“And we just met,” Brown said. “But VJ is gonna be great, and I’m excited to help him continue to thrive. But his talent level is off the charts.”

Edgecombe recently appeared on Brown’s Twitch stream, where the two laughed a lot and talked about Edgecombe’s upbringing in the Bahamas. Edgecombe also teased him about his upcoming 30th birthday by saying he was “unc” now (short for uncle).

“He’s just a great kid,” Brown said. “Always happy, always smiling. Just a good kid. So, he’s always — he’s curious, kind of similar to me.”

Edgecombe said he was surprised by Brown’s personality off the floor, and that he defied the preconceived notions he had about Brown.

“I thought he was a little stuck up, to himself, stingy, but no, he’s complete opposite of that,” Edgecombe said. “Great person. So that’s one of my favorite people on Earth.”

Edgecombe’s comment strikes at the heart of how the offseason went for Brown. After earning All-NBA honors and placing sixth in the Most Valuable Player voting, Brown’s place in the league and with the Celtics became a topic of debate prior to his trade to the Sixers.

He and Edgecombe even joked about a comment from ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who said a team’s analytics person had Brown rated as the seventh-best player on the Celtics last season.

“Nobody [mess] with me for real, they don’t like the analytics,” Brown told Edgecombe on his stream.

Then there was some strange talk about Brown’s intelligence, talk that caused him to call out radio personality Colin Cowherd for quoting a source saying Brown had a “disease” when it came to his perception of his own intellect.

Contrast that with what his younger teammates have said about his intelligence, and how he has helped them at various points in training camp.

“Just trying to learn from him,” Edwards said. “… What he does off the court mentally, health wise, just picking his brain with anything that comes to my mind and I feel like he can help me with.”

Watch the first episode

After an exciting Sixers offseason highlighted by the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, join Inquirer beat writers Gina Mizell and Chris Hine for a preview of the season. Watch here. 

Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

When asked a question about what has stood out about being teammates with LeBron James and Brown, forward Jabari Walker pointed at his head. They both think the game “on a different level.”

“There’s certain people when they talk, it just makes sense. It’s just straight to the point, and I think every time he says something it makes sense,” Walker said of Brown. “… So you know when he tells you something, it’s in the best interest for you or the team, and it’s just a common goal. Every time he talks, I make sure I listen, and he’s just a guy you respect.”

Then there was Edgecombe, who said he has quickly started depending on Brown for information and tricks of the trade.

“He’s super smart. He’s got that Cal-Berkeley education, man,” Edgecombe said, referring to Brown’s college. “That’s someone I lean on. He’s a really great person. Yeah, that’s my dawg. Like we actually really cool, which is shocking because, what month is it? October. He just signed like two months ago.”

Technically, Brown didn’t sign with the Sixers by choice. It is an arranged marriage, but one the Sixers were thrilled to make to change the trajectory of their roster even before netting James.

It’s clear people have strong opinions about Brown, but one that matters a great deal in the NBA is that of James. When the Sixers acquired Brown, it tilted the needle even more in Philadelphia’s direction for him to join the Sixers. So those analyzing the trade for Brown have to include that tidbit — that it swayed LeBron to sign a minimum contract with the Sixers.

LeBron’s arrival also brought Handy to the organization, and Handy has also worked with Brown in addition to James.

“Phil has been great, just cleaning things up,” Brown said. “Polishing things — talking through just different coverages, different systems and stuff through the season. He has a very high IQ. He’s been in the game for a long time. He’s won a few championships, and he worked with one of my favorite players of all time [Bryant], so it’s been great working with Phil.”

» READ MORE: Even in Year 24, there’s new (and old) things to learn for LeBron James

Back to that preseason debut, where Brown played while Maxey, James, and Joel Embiid sat out. Brown was the main attraction for a Philadelphia crowd that had rooted against him for over a decade. At one point, Brown took a feed from Walker on a fast break, dunked it and slammed his hand off the backboard while on the rim. The crowd erupted, like he’s been here all along.

“That’s one thing I do respect about him is that he comes in and plays his heart out each and every night,” said guard Anfernee Simons, who was teammates with Brown last season in Boston.

For the first time in 11 years, that heart no longer bleeds green.